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wordsofclover 's review for:
The Vanishing Season
by Joanna Schaffhausen
I received this book from Titan Books in exchange for an honest review.
Three people have gone missing during three subsequent summers in Ellery Hathaway's sleepy town but no-one will believe her in thinking it's the work of a serial killer. Ellery knows more than most about the world's most depraved, having survived a high profile serial killer 14 years before. Desperate and running out of time, Ellery calls the man who saved her as a teenager to help her again but she may have just sparked a ticking time bomb.
This book surprised me. I didn't think I would like it quite as much as I did and I think that's just because I went into it with not many expectations. I was in the mood for a thriller so that's what I picked up but this book really did deliver for me. Even though the chapters in this book are a lot longer than normal thrillers I read, this was still very fast-paced and one of those books that you just get completely sucked into.
I thought the idea behind the two serial killers was really clever, and there is definitely some research evident in how a lot of the investigations panned out, both past and present. I definitely got the urge to watch some Criminal Minds after this book too as it does have some FBI profiling in it.
The relationships Ellery has in the story were interesting to follow - particularly between her and Reed. I didn't know if there was chemistry between them and I also didn't know if I actually wanted something to happen between them (I think I did) considering their past. I did find some aspects of Ellery a bit unbelievable - she was only 28 but some of her actions as a police officer were debatable and at times she seemed really, really green. She also was looked after a lot and even though she resented it, she also kind of let it happen at times.
I thought the ending was great. It was so obvious, I had thought about it and then dismissed it because I thought it was too obvious. I did wonder a bit about the complete personality switch but I guess these people do know how to do that.
A thriller that kept me entertained and hooked throughout, and definitely one that deserves a couple of Criminal Minds episodes!
Three people have gone missing during three subsequent summers in Ellery Hathaway's sleepy town but no-one will believe her in thinking it's the work of a serial killer. Ellery knows more than most about the world's most depraved, having survived a high profile serial killer 14 years before. Desperate and running out of time, Ellery calls the man who saved her as a teenager to help her again but she may have just sparked a ticking time bomb.
This book surprised me. I didn't think I would like it quite as much as I did and I think that's just because I went into it with not many expectations. I was in the mood for a thriller so that's what I picked up but this book really did deliver for me. Even though the chapters in this book are a lot longer than normal thrillers I read, this was still very fast-paced and one of those books that you just get completely sucked into.
I thought the idea behind the two serial killers was really clever, and there is definitely some research evident in how a lot of the investigations panned out, both past and present. I definitely got the urge to watch some Criminal Minds after this book too as it does have some FBI profiling in it.
The relationships Ellery has in the story were interesting to follow - particularly between her and Reed. I didn't know if there was chemistry between them and I also didn't know if I actually wanted something to happen between them (I think I did) considering their past. I did find some aspects of Ellery a bit unbelievable - she was only 28 but some of her actions as a police officer were debatable and at times she seemed really, really green. She also was looked after a lot and even though she resented it, she also kind of let it happen at times.
I thought the ending was great. It was so obvious, I had thought about it and then dismissed it because I thought it was too obvious. I did wonder a bit about the complete personality switch but I guess these people do know how to do that.
A thriller that kept me entertained and hooked throughout, and definitely one that deserves a couple of Criminal Minds episodes!